The custom t-shirt printing industry is highly dependent on one supply: heat transfer paper. Heat transfer papers offer an exciting opportunity to undertake art-and-craft projects and are often purchased by DIY enthusiasts.
These papers have multiple uses and you can let your imagination run absolutely wild when working with them. Also, you don’t need any special skills to use heat transfer paper. Some of the most interesting uses of heat transfer paper include scanning signatures or doodles into your computer and printing them on t-shirts, aprons, sweatshirts and bags. Alternatively, you could also print digital photos onto your t-shirts and flaunt wearable art! In fact, a custom printed t-shirt or shirt is the ideal birthday/festive gift for a friend or family member.
There are so many people who have turned their hobby into a full-blown business and are doing extremely well by designing unique and fun custom t-shirts for their clients.
If you’re new to the concept of heat transfer paper and how it is used for fabric printing, these tips might be worth noting:
-
Select the right paper
You can find a variety of different heat transfer papers for your business applications of DIY project. While some products allow users to create their own visual design, other are pre-made by manufacturers. The choice of paper depends primarily on the personal preferences and intended use of the customer.
Some of the common varieties of heat transfer paper include ink-jet heat transfer paper, laser heat transfer paper and sublimation paper.
-
Use the right paper side for printing
Many people end up printing on the incorrect side of their chosen heat transfer paper. You can easily avoid this mistake by carefully setting up the paper in the printer tray before giving the print command.
-
Keep the mirror mode on
It easy to forget setting the printer to mirror mode before printing the paper. However, this tip is only relevant if light colors are being printed. Light backgrounds require the mirror mode lest the image will get reversed.
-
Pre-test the image
It is important to test the image or design on a regular sheet of paper as it will ensure satisfactory results. Heat transfer papers are usually expensive in comparison to the standard alternatives. Hence, wastage should be avoided.
-
Cut the image carefully
You need to carefully cut the image before printing. If too much heat transfer paper is left, the design’s impact will be reduced.
